Math dreams meeting May 20, 2013

What do you want? When it comes to math, what are your dreams for your kids? We started the parent meeting from these questions.

Affirming your values helps with well-being, thinking, and connecting with others. What do people want for the kids? Connections of math to all aspects of life; pursuing your own meaningful paths in math; support with struggles and help with flying high; seeing the wonder and beauty of math…

And every parent named numerous problems with her own math experiences, and wished her kids a different fate.

When we worked on questions that can help with dreams, it quickly became clear that what we want is still in the realm of sci-fi. This world is still far, far away from giving us ready answers for our questions, such as:

Where do kids find help for THEIR math – art math, dump truck math, the math of infinity (when you are four)? Is there a system that can guide you from one concept to the next, given your interests, your learning history, and your favorite things in life?

How come there are no “math play” or “math support” groups, and how do you form them?

What about the epidemic of math anxiety?

Is there an easy and quick way to find stuff rich in math and relevant to your passion – books, games, activities?

The above list is what people care about. Curriculum developers, take note! No math curricula even attempt to tackle such questions.

That’s why we have to take matters into our own hands. If we know what we want for our kids, it’s up to us to take steps toward it! A thoughtful discussion is a good beginning.